2nd Pen, 1st CA/BLO Finish

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rjwolfe3

rjwolfe3

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Well I bit the bullet and tried the CS/BLO finish on my 2nd pen I turned. As you see I turned this one better to match the hardware. But I was surprised with the finish. I expected it to be more shiny. This was three coats and polished with grocery paper after that.

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CA is very shiny. It looks like you don't have enough CA on it. I usually have a minimum of 5 thin coats, but lately, I use about 3 coats of medium, which equals 8 to 9 coats of thin. And be careful with sanding the CA off, especially on thin coats. How much sanding did you do on the CA and what grits did you use?

In the second picture on the light spot of the upper barrel, I can see what appears to be the outline of a section of thin CA build up and the section that the CA has either been sanded off or not built up.
 
Hank was following a video on this and used med CA, then BLO, and then 600 grit sandpaper for all but the last coat. Its possible that I sanded to much being how this was the first time. Maybe I will try more coats next time. Thanks for the advice.
 
Hey Rob ! Just wanted to let you know , you're not alone in this struggle . I just keep going back to the video to see where I'm going wrong . Haven't found it yet .
 
All the tutorials are nice and give you a base from which to start.But you will have to find a method that works for you on the ca finish.After a couple times you will find what works for you and what does not work for you.I would agree with Hank,it appears as though there is not enough ca on it.Good looking pen though.Are you applying the ca with the lathe running?Ronald.
 
Rob, I had trouble wit CA/BLO,Couldn't quite get the reflection I wanted, so I started using straight CA 2 or 3 coats of thin, then sometimes I'll use Thick for softer woods, and Medium CA for the harder woods.
Your turning isn't bad, but it looks like the area at the CB are a bit proud, use calipers, way better than relying on bushings.
 
Rob, I too struggle with CA finishes, one thing I found is that hardwoods are easier to CA finish, usually come up with a great shine. The more porous woods try using some sanding sealer a couple of times then run 0000 steel wool over it very lightly and start the CA/BLO treatment. Amos:)
 
I found that I get the best shine when I floow these steps with CA.
Apply a few layers of BLO and CA and dry/cure with a paper towel. Then apply CA still curing until the the finish becomes hazy (Usually after about 4-6 coats). At this point I spend a lot of quality time with the micromesh. Just start with your lowest mesh and you will kind of feel all the little bumps. Just very lightly work the mesh until you stop feeling those bumps, then move up to the next grade mesh. I did my last pen like this and got a near mirror finish.
 
Go real light with the shew on the last few passes. This will help in not starting with that 600 sandpaper. I don't use that rough sandpaper anymore. Depending on the wood, I just use 3 thin CA, a medium CA and a thick CA. Then right into the 1500 MM. If the CA ends up looking a little rough, I'll use Abranet 360 to smoothen it out. Then into the MM. I don't use BLO anymore. Be sure to always sand lengthwise with the lathe stopped after each grit. Use light pressure when sanding. When I started I was using too much pressure when sanding and would end up with some cloudy areas where I was sanding through the CA. It looks like you're well on your way.
 
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